MRI and PET CT scan showing imaging habitats in ovarian tumour (Credit Evis Sala University of Cambridge)

The UK National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA) establishes infrastructure for validation and adoption of cancer imaging biomarkers as decision-making tools in clinical trials and NHS practice. 

Researchers and medical experts from nine world-leading medical imaging centres across the UK come together to form an integrated infrastructure for standardising and validating cancer imaging biomarkers for clinical use. 

The centres include University of Glasgow, University College London, University of Manchester, University of Oxford, King’s College London, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College London, Cambridge University and Newcastle University.  This unique UK infrastructure provides clinical researchers across the UK with open access to world-class clinical imaging facilities and expertise, as well a repository data management service, artificial intelligence (AI) tools and ongoing training opportunities.

The NCITA consortium, through engagement with NHS Trusts, pharmaceutical companies, medical imaging and nuclear medicine companies as well as funding bodies and patient groups, aims to develop a robust and sustainable imaging biomarker certification process, to revolutionise the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnosis, tumour classification and patient response to treatment. 

The NCITA initiative is funded by Cancer Research UK and will receive up to £10 million over 5 years.

The NCITA network is led by Prof Shonit Punwani, Prof James O’Connor, Prof Eric Aboagye, Prof Geoff Higgins, Prof Evis Sala, Prof Dow Mu Koh, Prof Tony Ng, Prof Hing Leung and Prof Ruth Plummer with up to 49 co-investigators supporting the NCITA initiative.  NCITA is keen to expand and bring in new academic and industrial partnerships as it develops.

See the following links to the NCITA news releases published by our host institutions and collaborators:

UCL

CRUK City of London Cancer Centre

Department of Oncology, University of Oxford

CRUK Oxford Centre

Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Institute of Cancer Research, London

Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

CRUK Cambridge Centre

School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge

Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge

University of Manchester

Manchester Cancer Research Centre

CRUK Beatson Institute

Newcastle University

Imperial College London

CRUK Commercial Partnerships

NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at The Royal Marsden and the ICR